Unearthing Wonder: Our Gentle Advent Rhythm
As the days grow shorter and the first hints of winter settle in, our family begins preparing for one of our favorite traditions—Unearthing Wonder, a simple, story-filled way to walk through Advent with a sense of peace, expectation, and delight.
This slow season doesn’t require perfection. It doesn’t need elaborate crafts or expensive supplies. What it offers instead is connection: to the story of God-with-us, to the natural world, and to one another. And a little thoughtful preparation in November makes the whole month of December feel spacious and calm.
Here’s how we’re getting ready
Gathering the Books
Two books anchor our Advent rhythm each year:
All Creation Waits
This beautiful, contemplative book includes short reading that introduce us to an animal preparing for winter, a quiet reminder that creation itself is waiting for the Light. The children love discovering which creature we’ll meet each day.
This guide gives us simple daily Scripture readings, devotions, activities, and conversations that help our family pay attention—really pay attention—to the quiet miracle of Emmanuel-God with us-unfolding around us. I like to print the supply list early so I can gather a few items at a relaxed pace or see what we already have on hand.
I place both books beside our candles so they’re ready for evening time—no scrambling, no stress, just a peaceful invitation to slow down.
Shaping a Simple Clay Candle Ring
One of our favorite projects is creating a handmade candleholder for the four Advent candles. It’s wonderfully simple and wonderfully grounding.
We roll two 12x1 inch rectangles of air-dry clay, smoothing them into a circle and creating four evenly spaced holders for tapered candles. Before it dries, we let the children tuck in a few evergreen sprigs or impression marks from pinecones. Once hardened, it becomes a centerpiece of sorts—a humble, homemade wreath that we light each week as we move closer to Christmas.
The one shown in the photo sits on a slice of wood, decorated with fresh greenery and berries. There’s something so wholesome about lighting candles from a holder made with our own hands.
Printing and Making the Animal Ornaments
One of the sweetest parts of Unearthing Wonder is the set of printable animal ornaments. Each one corresponds to a winter creature from All Creation Waits.
I print them on cardstock, and the children color them during our morning time or after reading the day’s story. We cut them out and glue them onto mason jar lids, or—if we have them—simple wood rounds. A bit of ribbon or twine turns them into ornaments.
By Christmas, our tree is filled with reminders of the quiet beauty of creation: foxes, deer, squirrels, owls. It becomes a living calendar of anticipation and wonder.
Setting Up the Space
Once everything is gathered—the books, the candle ring, the ornaments-in-progress—I set it all in one place. A tray, a small basket, or a cleared corner of the dining table works beautifully. Keeping the materials together means Advent nights feel effortless instead of chaotic.
A Season of Quiet Expectation
Preparing for Advent doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, Unearthing Wonder invites just the opposite—a season of slowing, noticing, savoring, and remembering why we celebrate in the first place.
With a few simple preparations—books gathered, candles shaped by hand, ornaments ready for coloring—we create an atmosphere where wonder can rise naturally.
And when we light that first candle, we’re reminded again:
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.